Possession of Knowledge
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añcuva tañcāmai pētaimai yañcuva / tañca laṟivār toḻil
Not fearing what ought to be feared is folly; fearing what deserves fear is the conduct of the knowledgeable.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Folly meets fearful ills with fearless heart; / To fear where cause of fear exists is wisdom's part.”
“It is folly to rush headlong into danger: it is the part of the wise to fear what ought to be feared.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அஞ்சுவது அஞ்சாமை பேதைமை- அஞ்சப்படுவதனை அஞ்சாமை பேதைமையாம்; அஞ்சுவது அஞ்சல் அறிவார் தொழில்- அவ்வஞ்சப்படுவதனை அஞ்சுதல் அறிவார் தொழிலாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar preserves the verse's exact contrast: refusing to fear what merits fear is folly, while fearing it is the practice of the wise. The object and grounds of fear matter; the verse does not commend indiscriminate anxiety.